Digitaria parodii

HABIT Annual; mat forming. Culms prostrate; slender; 10–20 cm long. Culm-nodes brown; glabrous. Leaf-sheaths pilose. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.3 mm long. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 1–3 cm long; 2–4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2(–4); paired; unilateral; 3–7 cm long. Rhachis broadly winged; with sharp-edged midrib; 0.5–0.8 mm wide; smooth on margins. Raceme-bases filiform.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels angular; unequal; 0.5–3 mm long; smooth; tip widened.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; dorsally compressed; 1.8–2.1 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes two; dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblate; 0.1 length of spikelet; hyaline; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex truncate. Upper glume oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent; with verruculose hairs. Upper glume hairs white, or purple. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 0.8–0.9 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; pubescent; with verruculose hairs; bearing white hairs, or purple hairs; acute. Fertile lemma oblong; gibbous; 1.5–2 mm long; cartilaginous; much thinner on margins; yellow, or mid-green; without keel. Lemma margins flat; covering most of palea. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea cartilaginous.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: west-central tropical, northeast tropical, and southern tropical.

NOTES Paniceae. FZ.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.